Terrestrial mollusks, such as slugs and snails, are herbivores capable of extensively damaging plants, including flowers, vegetables, and some trees and shrubs. Not only can terrestrial mollusks be quite damaging, existing baits designed to exterminate them often have significant limitations. For example, the baits do not always perform well in the natural environments of mollusks, which is often permanently moist or frequently wet. Existing baits also sometimes lose their physical integrity under such circumstances or lose their efficacy upon prolonged exposure to moisture, sunlight, or both.
In addition, many slugs and snails live in environments where damaging insects are also present. Although control of these insects is desirable, it is often preferable to exterminate the insects without use of a contact pesticide that will indiscriminately kill non-targeted insects, or that will function only for a short period of time after application. Desirably, a method of controlling slugs and snails could also be used to control insect pest populations.
A further challenge is that some slug and snail baits presently in use are not properly formulated for consumption by mollusks, either because they do not have a proper attractant in appropriate concentration, or because they are not physically formed in a manner that promotes consumption by mollusks, and especially not consumption by both mollusks and insects.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved formulation for control of terrestrial mollusks, especially one that can also be used to control targeted insect pest populations. Any such formulation should desirably also be well suited toward use in moist environments without excessive loss of physical integrity or efficacy as a pest control material. Finally, the composition should be formulated such that it is highly attractive to both mollusks and insects.